| dc.description.abstract | The youth were central actors during the 2011 revolution in Tunisia that resulted in the toppling of the Ben Ali regime and the instauration of a democratic political system. However, the number of Tunisian youth active in politics quickly decreased as older cohorts took the reins of the political transition, a problem often analyzed and discussed in the literature on youth political participation in Tunisia. A group of Tunisian youth that on the other hand has not been given much attention in academic research is those young Tunisians who have remained politically active. If the goal is to increase youth participation in Tunisian politics, it is important to listen to those who already are active in politics, and attempt to understand what explains their continued political participation. This is what this thesis attempts at. By employing theoretical propositions from democratic transition theory and social movement theory, Tunisian politically active youth’s opinions and thoughts regarding their role in Tunisian politics, as well as their motivations for being politically active, are analyzed. The analysis finds that politically active youth tend to regard Tunisian youth in general, and in some cases also youth active in other political organizations, as excluded from politics. At the same time, however, politically active youth themselves tend to feel included in politics and believe they have a possibility to influence decision-making in the political organization they are members of. This contradicts much of the existing literature on the topic. Furthermore, the analysis finds that politically active youth in Tunisia are primarily motivated to be active in politics by issues that cut across the Islamist-secular cleavage, such as economy, change, and security, while personal gains do not seem to have the same motivational effect. These results challenge the theoretical propositions employed, while also outlining some new, additional elements that should be taken into account in future research on political participation among Tunisian youth. Finally, the analysis uncovers a common generational narrative present among Tunisian youth, shaped by the historical experience of the 2011 revolution. | eng |